On the Borders of Death
by clairnh
Summary: :3 my first attempt at fanfiction...
1. Chapter 1

I felt my blood run cold. I watched as he pulled the trigger and the bullet lodged itself into my mother's chest. Blood, crimson red, seeped into the front of her blouse, staining a permanent image into the back of my mind. A scream ripped itself from my throat as tears flooded down my cheeks. My mother's eyes caught mine for one last time and I watched as the light faded from them. She fell to the ground –dead like my father. Their lifeless bodies were stained red all over.

He finally turned to me. His blue eyes were cold and unfeeling. The screaming finally stopped –my throat too tight to let any sound out. He pointed his gun at me and I turned and fled, ducking as I ran down the corridor. I heard a gunshot and the shattering of glass windows. I was lucky. He had missed. I felt the glass rain down around me and I heard him curse loudly. I continued running, the glass shards painfully cutting my feet. Tears streamed down my face and I rushed down the stairs. I heard heavy footsteps following me, hot in pursuit. Another gunshot. I felt a searing pain in my shoulder blade. I had been shot. I cried in pain and my tears blurred my vision. I kept running –out the door of my manor and into the night. Hot blood ran down my back, down my arm. I heard shouting. I continued running, my breath rattling in my chest, fear for my life and hurt compelling me to go on, to run as far away as possible from that _place._ From my mother's dead body. From the man that had killed father. From the gun that would claim my life. From the memories and the stabbing pain in my heart. I ran. On and on. For minutes. For hours. I fled down the rough countryside road, away from my manor. My head pounded from fear, blood loss, and the lack of oxygen. My heart screamed that this was all but a horrible nightmare that I would soon wake up from, but the searing pain in my left shoulder and the blood that continued to trickle down my body told me otherwise. How long had I been running for? Two hours? Three? Five? I stumbled from exhaustion and landed face first onto the ground. I let out a strangled sob as I lay there on the road. _I'm going to die. _Images and sounds flashed through my mind –my father's lifeless body, the gunshots, and the glassy look in my mother's eyes. I let out another sob. _I'm going to die. _In comparison to all that had just occurred, the thought of death felt somewhat comforting. As the adrenaline in my body began to wear off, I finally started to feel the cold chill in the air. _I'm going to die. _The tears slowly began to stop. I shivered from the cold and as I did so, a stab of pain shot up the left side of my body. I gasped in in agony, my right arm clutching at my shoulder. _I'm going to die._ I could feel the fresh blood seeping out of the wound, trickling through the gaps in my fingers. The sharp metallic scent of my blood lingered in the air. _I'm going to die. _I pulled my right hand off my shoulder. There was no point in trying anyways. I was so, very tired. My eyelids fluttered and closed. All I wanted was for the night to end. _I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die!_ This was my last thought, ringing in my head, as my world went black.


	2. Chapter 2

"Grell Sempai!" At the Shinigami Dispatch Management Division, a young man who looked around twenty years old breathlessly burst into the office. He had striking features, messy ginger hair, dyed black at the bottom, a pair of bright yellow-green eyes, and thick pentagonal shaped glasses, which, in his attempt to rush as quickly as possible to the office, were knocked slightly askew. He was dressed in a black suit with matching black gloves, white shoes, and a silver watch on his wrist. In another situation, he undoubtedly would have been charming, but today his face held a look of sheer panic and distress.

There were two men in the office. One had a long stern face, with slanted sharp yellow-green eyes, framed by rectangular glasses. His hair was neatly combed back from his face and his lips were shaped into a small, emotionless frown. He too was dressed in a black suit. The other man was dressed in a red coat, which hung scruffily from his elbows. He had long, waist length, bright red hair and delicate, more feminine features. His red glasses accentuated his yellow-green eyes and he wore a goofy smile upon his lips.

The man in red who was being addressed spoke up. "What is it Ronnie?" he asked, slightly annoyed. "Will and I were just talking," then with a wink to the man with the rectangular glasses, he asked him, "weren't we Will?"

William's face twisted in disgust, the emotionless frown deepening, as he said curtly, "Sutcliff, get out of my office." The red haired shinigami pouted and whined in a high voice, but much to William's relief, Grell, for once, did as he was told. As soon as the shinigami left dejectedly, William turned to Ronald. "As for you Knox, have you not heard of knocking before barging in? I thought someone like you would know your manners."

Still breathless, Ronald replied, "Sorry, but it's important. Colleen Belle Knightly –the girl on the Death List who was scheduled to die tonight… She's _gone_. She… she didn't die."

"What? What do you mean?" William's eyes widened in shock and disbelief.

"Gunmen attacked her manor and her parents died like they were supposed to but… but she didn't. Her name was on the death list too and it said she was gonna die from a bullet through her head… but the guy's shot missed. Or rather… she ducked and the guy's shot missed. She's still _alive._"

William breathed in sharply. He closed his eyes and a crease appeared between his eyebrows. Exhaling slowly, he tried to calm the shaking in his voice. "That's impossible… You're saying… that she… _escaped _death…?"

Ronald nodded.

William sighed, a million thoughts swirling in his head. "Thank you, Knox. You may leave." It looked like he would be working overtime tonight.


	3. Chapter 3

There was a knock on the door. "Young Master," a deep melodic sounding voice rang out in the quiet study.

A little boy sat behind the wooden desk in the corner. On the desk lay neat stacks upon stacks of paper. He looked up from his Sunday newspaper. "Come in, Sebastian," he said curtly, before placing the newspaper on his desk. The boy was small –he looked about nine, with a delicate, but stern face. He had dark hair that was almost a teal shade and a permanent scowl etched upon his face, but what stood out most were his eyes. Behind the gorgeous hues of sapphire blue, there lay hidden a story –one that was drenched in sorrow and agony, one that had no place in the memories of such a young child.

Upon his orders, a tall man clothed in black entered the study. He was extremely attractive, with a long face, amber-red eyes, and messy dark black hair that fell perfectly, yet seemingly effortlessly across his face. The corners of his lips were lifted slightly into a small cold and emotionless smirk. He was dressed in a fancy black butler suit with pearly white gloves and the chain from his pocket watch dangling from his right side.

"What is it, Sebastian?" the boy asked, impatience bordering on the edges of his voice.

The butler approached his master, his eyes falling onto the open page of the Sunday newspaper. "Ah. They still have not been able to find Lady Knightly?" Despite the concern in his words, his voice remained flat and emotionless.

The boy scoffed in disdain. "The Scotland Yard is useless. It has already been three days since the gunmen attacked her manor and they have still failed to find anything but the bodies of her parents. But moreover, what are you here for Sebastian?"

"The Queen has sent you a letter," the butler said, the deep tones of his voice ringing as he pulled out the letter from under his vest and handed it to the boy. He stepped behind the child, his movements fluid and graceful as he quietly took his place at his master's side.

The boy took the letter soundlessly, glancing at the Queen's seal embedded in the thick red wax that was stamped on the heavy parchment of the envelope. He picked up a paperknife from a drawer in his desk and delicately sliced open the top of the envelope. Pulling the letter out, he began to unfold the thick parchment. The Queen's slanted, neat letters filled up the pages. It read: _To my dear Ciel, I hope you are well and enjoying Easter. As for me, there have been some worries on my mind. I am sure you have read the stories in the newspaper recently –the stories about my cousin, the Duke of Knightly, and his family. The news of their murder breaks my heart and I am extremely concerned about the wellbeing of their daughter, Lady Colleen Belle Knightly. It has been three days since the attack and yet she still remains missing with no clues as to whether she is dead or alive. All I wish is for her safety and for this case to be laid to rest. Queen Victoria. _

"Young Master, the carriage is ready," Sebastian stated, breaking the silence in the study. "Will we be leaving at once?"

Ciel nodded, still deep in thought, "Perhaps the Undertaker will be of help."


	4. Chapter 4

The carriage lurched to a sudden stop. "What is it?" Ciel asked from inside the carriage. There was no reply. "Sebastian, what is it?" Ciel repeated, annoyance threaded in his voice.

Almost instantly the butler's tall figure appeared at the door of the carriage. In a fluid movement he pulled open the door. "Young Master…" His normally emotionless face was replaced by a look of bewilderment.

Ciel stepped out of the carriage and took a look at his surroundings, eyes resting on the sight that had shocked his butler. Lying on the ground by the side of the road was the blood-soaked body of a girl. She looked to be about seventeen or eighteen, with auburn waist-length hair streaked with platinum blonde highlights. Her once perfect curls were now tangled and matted with dried blood and dirt. The originally white nightgown draped over her slender body was torn and dirty, stained with dirt, blood, tears, and sweat. Her feet were covered in cuts and scrapes. The girl's face, despite being streaked with dirt, was beautiful, with ivory skin, high cheekbones, a delicate nose, full pink lips, and long eyelashes. Her face exactly matched the smiling picture that had been flooding the newspapers recently.

"Young Master… Could it be…?" Sebastian had once again regained his calm composure, although it was obvious that he was still fairly surprised by the sudden turn of events. His lips were curved into a slight frown, his normal smirk still absent from his face.

Ciel's eyes lifted to meet those of his butler's. "That girl…" he whispered, his voice hoarse from shock as he looked down once more at the body on the ground. "She's Lady Knightly…"


End file.
